TAMPA, Fla. — Every Florida car owner has to have auto insurance, but a recent study left many drivers scratching their heads.
The study from Quote Wizard by LendingTree showed Florida women pay more for their car insurance than men. It claims 35-year-old women pay $739 on average in annual car insurance while 35-year-old men pay $720.
It adds the "annual car insurance rates" for 18-year-old men are almost $1,000 more than 18-year-old women.
However, Mark Friedlander with the Insurance Information Institute disagreed with one data point.
"It appears the data is flawed. In fact, the organization released a study that didn't even describe how they came to their conclusions. They had no specific support for those conclusions," he said.
Friedlander said their analysis showed the exact opposite when it comes to the different prices men and women pay.
"This goes back to when you first get your driver's license. At age 16, boys are paying more than girls, and there are some valid reasons for this. Female drivers tend to get in fewer accidents than male drivers, and they also have less DUI violations," he said. "Most importantly, female drivers get in less serious accidents than male drivers."
Ultimately what you pay for boils down to more than a dozen factors, including your driving record, credit history, age, and even how many miles you drive a year.
"Not every female driver is paying less than every male driver. But we look at the averages across the State, and it's very clear to us that the average rates are always higher for male drivers versus females," he said. "The big takeaway is safer drivers pay less than reckless drivers."
But auto insurance is pricier for Floridians as a whole.
"Already, we've seen reports that Floridians are paying the highest average auto insurance in the country, and that's due to our accident frequency and severity claims litigation. A lot of lawsuits are filed related to auto accidents, the cost of medical care, high medical care costs in Florida, and then fraud schemes. We see a lot of auto insurance fraud in Florida, particularly stage accidents," he said.
